At 4pm on July 18, the third storm to appear on the East Sea since the beginning of 2018 was at about 18.8 degrees north and 107.5 degrees east, along the Tonkin Gulf and 190km from the mainland of the central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh. It sustained wind speeds of 60-90km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Over the next 12 hours, it will move westwards at some 20-25km per hour. After landing on the coast from Thai Binh to Quang Binh, it is forecast to spread further into the mainland but abate into a tropical depression.
At 4am on July 19, the tropical depression is predicted to be at about 18.9 degrees north and 104.9 degrees east, in the mainland of the north-central region. The strongest wind speeds at that time are likely to be around 40-50km per hour.
In the following 12-24 hours, it will keep moving westwards at about 20-25km per hour and weaken into a low pressure area as it reaches northern Laos.
Widespread rains are foreseen across the northern and northern central regions throughout July 19.
In the afternoon of July 18, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung requested that the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and the national Committee for Disaster Response, Search, and Rescue keep close eyes on the storm’s developments to take timely actions and minimise damage.
He also urged working groups to be sent to vulnerable localities to step up activities responding to the storm and addressing consequences. Meanwhile, localities need to evacuate residents from areas susceptible to landslides and floods, while swiftly settling recent flood consequences in northern mountainous provinces to gear up for the upcoming floods.
